Review: Sweet Carolina Morning by Susan Schild

Genre:
Romance

Format:
E-Book

Publisher:
Lyrical Press

Release Date:
August 2016






Synopsis from Goodreads…

Life down South just got a whole lot sweeter in Susan Schild’s new novel about a woman whose happily-ever-after is about to begin…whether she’s ready for it or not.

Finally, just shy of forty years old, Linny Taylor is living the life of her dreams in her charming hometown of Willow Hill, North Carolina. The past few years have been anything but a fairy tale: Left broke by her con man late-husband, Linny has struggled to rebuild her life from scratch. Then she met Jack Avery, the town’s much-adored veterinarian. And she’s marrying him.

Everything should be coming up roses for Linny. So why does she have such a serious case of pre-wedding jitters? It could be because Jack’s prosperous family doesn’t approve of her rough-and-tumble background. Or that his ex-wife is suddenly back on the scene. Or that Linny has yet to win over his son’s heart. All these obstacles—not to mention what she should wear when she walks down the aisle—are taking the joy out of planning her wedding. Linny better find a way to trust love again, or she might risk losing the one man she wants to be with—forever…

My Review

Linny Taylor is back. Her story continues where the first book, Linny’s Sweet Dream List, left off. Twice widowed Linny is about to get her happily-ever-after with her boyfriend, Jack Avery. Unfortunately, things never run smoothly for Linny and they don’t this time either.

Jack’s family is the big problem as his mother doesn’t seem to like Linny very much. Jack’s ex-wife takes every opportunity to badmouth Linny to his mother and Jack’s teenage son, Neal. Neal’s schoolwork begins to suffer. Jack and Linny fear it’s their upcoming nuptials causing Neal’s problems. Jack spends more and more time with Neal, leaving Linny out in the cold.

To add to Linny’s troubles, her mother meets a man on a cruise. A man Linny is convinced is a con man, but that’s not all. Linny’s sister is about to have a baby, but she’s suddenly having marital problems.  Linny wants to be there to help everyone, which is not an easy task.

I urge readers to read the first book Linny’s Sweet Dream List before delving into this one. It gives you a clear picture of Linny and Jack’s relationship and their individual histories. You’ll read about them in this book, too, but it’s so much better to read both books together. It’s even more enjoyable.

This book oozes with southern charm as well as dealing with some very real issues. Mixing two families together while trying to keep the peace is realistic. It’s not sugar coated in this story. We learn the difficulties everyone involved experiences.

I did think Linny should lighten up on her mother and let her live a little. She’s a smart woman and can handle her own, but her devotion towards her mother is touching.

Linny and Jack’s story doesn’t end here. There’s a third book which promises to be just as good as this one.



For reading challenges:
2016 NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge

FTC Disclosure: The author and NetGalley provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.